The Department of Education and representatives of the higher education community completed negotiated rulemaking for 2002. A final rule was published in the Federal Register on November 1, 2002. Information about the 2002 negotiated rulemaking process is posted on this site.

Section 492 of the Higher Education Act requires that the Secretary of Education obtain public involvement in the development of proposed regulations for Title IV of that Act and, generally, that all Title IV regulations promulgated after the enactment of the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 be subject to a negotiated rulemaking process. Accordingly, in a Federal Register notice of December 5, 2001, the Secretary announced his intention to establish two negotiating committees, the structure of the committees, the basis for establishing the negotiating agenda, and a tentative schedule for the negotiating sessions.